Brighter Than the Sun
by Angelic Hellraiser
Summary: My collection of Steve/Claire drabbles & one-shots.
1. Suspended

**: AUTHOR'S NOTE :**

I got tired of all the untidiness of my account. So, I've decided to combine all my Steve/Claire one-shots. I apologize to those of you that have already read these. I just couldn't stand how strung out everything was. I'll have more Steve/Claire goodness soon.

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✿ **Pairing** → Steve•Claire

✿ **Word Count** → 792

✿ **Summary** → What if Steve had actually kissed Claire while they were on the plane ride to the Antarctic? How would it unfold? Be warned. Fluffiness and some sexual themes are ever present here.

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【Suspended】

The light is painfully white; the chill of the air is bitter and uncomfortable. Cold weather always bothered him as a kid. Now, it is more of a vague annoyance. His eyes are heavy with sleep, yet the warmth of the lovely creature beside him won't let his mind rest. She smells of sweat, dirt, and the distant odor of decay, but that doesn't mask the pleasant perfume on her skin. He inhales slowly. It's a sweet rainy sort of aroma with a hidden edge of something sharp... something perplexing and thorny. Much like her appearance, the fragrance of her skin is deceiving. She is something you don't really expect. She is headstrong, compassionate, quick to judge, patronizing at times, and beautifully imperfect. She has secrets like him. She's known tragedy like him...

Her movements bring his mind back to the present. As he looks over, she shifts her head away from leaning on his shoulder and moans softly. _Dreaming_. His eyes roam over her face. Near her right eyebrow, there is a faint scar. _I wonder where she got it from_, he whispers inwardly. He'd noticed it earlier but she'd been busy telling him about her involvement with Raccoon City.

When she'd spoken of her friend, Leon, and the girl, Sherry, her expression could have easily been mistaken for sadness due to the cruel events that Umbrella had brought upon them, but he'd caught the hidden guilt in her averted eyes. She'd said something about them parting ways and her going to search for her brother, Chris. The way her voice seemed to grow smaller and smaller. She hid it pretty well, but he could still hear it... like a deafening whisper. _Had she just up and abandoned them?_ That could explain why she rushed through the end of her story and why her lips had been marred by a heavy frown at the very mention of their names. _Maybe I'm just thinking too much..._

Still, he doesn't care. In the beginning Claire had found him as more of an annoyance than an actual help. Hadn't he seen her that way in the beginning, too? He inwardly chuckled at that thought. The one person he'd believed would never betray him... had. _Dad..._ To say his trust was damaged is just an understatement. Claire... she... He swallows thickly. She's so attractive and kind. Despite him not wanting to have to trust someone, he'd tried to show her he could be trusted. A bit of a double-standard... No matter how much he'd tried to show her he was capable of it, she'd never taken the hint... Then... his father...

It was her pity. A sudden anger floods his veins at that realization. _I don't want her to pity me. I don't need her to pity me... I want her to..._

His eyes fall upon her dusky lashes and travel along the contours of her face. Her cheeks are flush and pink, very much alive and aware of the cold hanging in the air. His cool fingertips itch. _I bet it would feel just as soft as it looks._ He considers very strongly to indulge the thought, but then something else occurs to him. _She's still asleep. _His eyes travel to her lips. _I wonder..._

A pleasant heat pools in his stomach and he immediately feels light-headed. His eager lips part and a breath he didn't realize he'd been holding blows out in a nervous huff. He could do it very lightly, just a taste. She's asleep. They'd hit some turbulence earlier and she didn't wake. She's no light sleeper. He watches her for a second longer_. I shouldn't have just left her like that back at the prison. I should have stuck with her. If she'd been killed, it would have been my fault. God, she wouldn't have deserved that._

He is moving before he realizes it, his head tilting and his neck craning to to reach her. Her warmth washes over him and the earlier heat knotting his stomach is magnified tenfold. Desire creeps through his veins like a ravenous hunger. He's no stranger to arousal or attraction to the opposite sex, but he'd never been able to practice what the body craved. In school, his mind focused on track and his studies. Besides, the other girls found him too awkward, too quiet. He'd had one-too-many embarrassing occurrences with them. But, with Claire... Claire is different... on so many levels. There is actually a brain behind the beauty, and spunk to boot. Unlike the other girls, she actually has something to hide beneath that tough exterior. He'd found a boldness he didn't realize he harbored.

He licks his lips apprehensively. He wanted to know those clandestine secrets, the ones only she would know...

Her breath dances over his mouth and her bangs tickle the bridge of his nose. She's so close. _What if she wakes up? What if you never get a chance like this again?_ He'd caught her gazing furtively at him a few times in his peripheral vision, but he never made it obvious he knew. The hint of interest in her eyes wasn't any mystery to him. She might even respond to his kiss. The thought of her wrapping her arms around him, carding her fingers through his hair and tugging earnestly... _needing_... He sucks in a quivering breath. How would her body feel pressed so snugly against his, her chest heaving with every eager moan... her breasts, so soft... silky smooth skin. _How would that skin taste?_

His body shivers as his lips meet hers in a light kiss. He remains frozen for a moment, unsure whether to continue or pull back. The electricity generated by the simple brush of her mouth; his heart pounds in his chest, the adrenaline coursing through him like a runaway train. His body screams for him to push forward and for her to respond, but he remains still for a moment, letting the new feeling wash over him. It's euphoric and unknowing. _No turning back now._

He slowly begins to mold his lips to hers, shyly exploring the tempting curve of her mouth. It feels so invading and wrong to be doing this, but, at the moment, he doesn't care_. _His imagination runs wild with images of her pulling close to him, her lovely figure open to the curiosity of his eager hands._ The smooth feel of her breasts... the blissful exploration of something further down._

Steve's fantasy is suddenly rocked as her lips move beneath his. His eyes snap open and he finds her gazing at him. It feels as if someone has dumped a bucket of ice-cold water over him and he pulls away instantly. "I'm so sorry, Claire. I didn't..." He runs his fingers roughly through his hair, making sure to avoid her eyes. "I... ummm... I shouldn't have done that... I mean... I'm... sorry."

The silence is long and seems to stretch into forever.

"Steve..."

"Umm... Claire—I am… really sorry about… that."

What she does next startles him. She giggles. It's such a cute and attractive sound. "Well…" she smiles. "Is that your first time kissing a girl?"

He blushes and looks away. "… Yeah…"

She raises an eyebrow. "Hmmm… Well, I think that you need a lot of work..."

His head jerks back to her, hurt clear in his eyes. "Yeah… well…"

"You didn't let me finish, Steve." She pronounces his name slowly, almost teasingly. "What else I was going to say was... practice makes perfect." With that, her lips crash into his.

_She's… actually kissing me…_

His heart dances in his chest, an excited and uncontrollable rhythm. He gasps in surprise as her tongue drags along his lower lip, requesting access. He obliges her and she explores every inch of his mouth. _I got much more than just a taste._ He moans fervently as her hands find their way around his neck and into his auburn hair. She pulls possessively at his fiery locks and bites down on his lower lip. He inhales sharply as his hands rapidly find their own way around her in a hungry embrace.

Then…

She pulls away, her breathing labored. "But… we really need to practice this at another time."

His erection is no surprise to her considering she is now in his lap, but he swallows the desire back down and locks it away. "Yeah… you're right…" His eyes evade her but he won't release her from the embrace.

"Hey, Steve…" her voice is tender.

He looks back at her, his expression unsatisfied.

She chuckles. "We are going to get out of here. That's a promise. My brother _will _come. He will find us and get us home safe."

"I hope you're right…"

Her smile is genuine as she disentangles herself from him. "I am. My brother doesn't comprehend what 'giving up' means. It's in his nature to succeed at whatever he does."

Steve rises to his feet and walks to the window. "Well, I do hope he gets here."

It's a step forward. He really does hope Chris gets to them… He glances back at Claire and finds her staring down. His eyes follow hers and he blushes again.

She giggles non stop and slaps his arm good-heartedly. "And, we can get back to _that_ later, too."

Steve glares playfully at her. "We better. What you did was just… You're a total tease."

She raises her eyebrows. "Would you have rather me slap you for kissing me… _while I was asleep_?"

He bites his lip. "Well, you got me there… and, no."

She crosses her arms, her smile contagious. "Alright, then."


	2. Sometimes Selfish is Selfless

✿ **Pairing** → Steve•Claire

✿ **Word Count** → 792

✿ **Summary** → Tears shimmer at the corners of her eyes. 'You showed more courage than most of the people I've met in my life.' She can't say the words out loud. They will never express the gravity of such a truth. The truth is here in her arms—a reality she had never expected.

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【Sometimes Selfish is Selfless】

Tender lips kiss along her neck as silence falls around them, calming. Her legs tremble and her heart is still racing.

"Claire," Steve whispers in the darkness. She feels his hair tickle her jawline.

_What can I say? _"Steve, I-"

Honestly, both of them hadn't focused on the outcome of what they'd just done. Emotions had taken over; logic had vacated their hearts and only left the utter longing for each other. Now, what do they do? Words never seemed to be enough between them. Their actions had always resounded like the ethereal blare of trumpets, overshadowing any words ever spoken... and the words themselves... always seem so redundant.

_I'd thought you were dead. I never got to... I never realized just what you meant-you're here._

She lifts his face in her hands until she can see the dim glittering of his Caribbean eyes. They stare at one another, leaving time to hasten on its way. Claire will commit this image to memory, every scar on his face, the slight tugging at the corners of his lips, the creeping lines around his eyes. _Steve._

"I love you, Claire." Steve's husky confession leaves her frozen.

Her eyes are wide and her heart is thundering against her chest. To hear him say it again-it sends an electric current through her veins. Swallowing back tears, she steadies her breathing.

"Claire..." Steve continues. "I'd thought for the longest time that I _was_ dead. Then, I... I don't know when, but I began to remember everything. Memories that came to me in my dreams." He breathes, his eyes falling shut. "I remembered my family, my childhood... then... Rockfort and Antarctica. The thing is..." She felt his cheeks heat up under her fingertips. "Your face-I didn't know who you were at the time-but your face kept smiling at me."

Claire's heart flutters despite herself and and a sense of overwhelming protectiveness washes over her. Before he can continue, she wraps her arms around his chest and pulls him into a kiss. Steve gasps in surprise, but quickly falls into the leisure and hot rhythm of this kiss. His hands move along her body, making her skin tingle.

_After all this time... I'd no idea... I never expected to..._

"Steve," she moans, breaking the kiss. "I... all of this..." Her blue eyes flicker. "Before, when I'd lost you, I blamed myself." She looks away. "You were so young... just a kid. Yet, you always pushed yourself to help me, protect me."

_You're such a crazy idiot, Steve Burnside._

"Steve, you..." She trails off, unable to finish.

Tears shimmer at the corners of her eyes. _You showed more courage than most of the people I've met in my life._ She can't say the words out loud. They will never express the gravity of that truth. The truth is here in her arms-a reality she had never expected.

"Since Raccoon City, my life has always been about winning something, achieving something. Even now, I don't know what that is." Her eyes clamp shut as shame moves over her. "I'd thought I knew, but... I never did." Tears are trickling down her cheeks, hot and slow. "I'd believed that helping others, saving them from sadistic corporations..." She sighs. "What I was really doing... was trying to save myself." Her body is shaking as the tears fall faster now, slipping quickly into the inky shadows of her hair.

"Claire-"

"No!" she barks suddenly. "Let me finish." Her tone is demanding, but soft. "I've been running." Opening her eyes, she finds his conflicted stare. "Steve, don't you understand? I've been running from my guilt, trying to save lives for _myself_!" She chokes on her sobs and Steve holds her tighter. "My friends and family commend me for my efforts, but they've always been for me... secretly. Raccoon! Antarctica! Harvardvi-!"

"Claire, stop." Steve holds her cheek, sweeping his thumb along her feverish skin. "No one has ever asked you to be perfect." He presses his forehead to hers. "You're human. Anyone in your situation would have done the same."

"Ste-"

He puts his index finger over her lips. "Claire, in the end, we are all selfish." He smirks, suddenly. "Do you think I _only_ played the knight to protect you, or do you think I had an ulterior motive?"

Her surprise is instantly replaced with a strong and familiar sense of flattery. "You're such a guy."

He laughs. "Saved your life, though, didn't it?" His eyes suddenly turn serious. "Sometimes, selfish actions can be selfless."

"Steve..." she murmurs, her lips parting in awe.

Kissing her nose, he smirks again. "I guess I really am your _knight in shining armor_, huh?"

She slaps his arm, grinning. "Jerk!"


End file.
